He was one of his era, and his work as a high school basketball official was a testament to the age of accountability and responsibility for the rules of the game and comportment. Long-time area ref, David Wortman, passed this week.
One of the best of the generation of area basketball officials that included names like Paul Armstrong, Chris Stokes, Terrell Collier, Eric Brown, and many, many more…Piqua’s Dave Wortman passed away suddenly this week, despite having had successful heart surgery within the past few weeks.
Wortman was 73, retired from active officiating, and lived with his wife Debra in Piqua.
I’ll remember Dave Wortman best for his on-court demeanor, which left little to question that he was in charge of the situation. A stickler for the rules, he knew them from an early age. and his adherence to on-court comportment was well-known throughout the Miami Valley and by anyone acquainted with the nuances of officiating.
He was the son of Bob Wortman, long-time official working games in the Big Ten, the Atlantic Coast Conference, and the Southeastern Conference, and the only man known to have worked the NCAA mens basketball finals and the Super Bowl in the same year. Wortman worked as a back judge in the NFL for many years before retiring to devote more time to family and a successful insurance business in his hometown of Findlay.
When I became acquainted with Dave I asked him once about his dad’s influence on his own officiating career.
“There aren’t enough words,” said Dave. “But I’ll tell you this. He was old school, and got out at the right time. He’d struggle with the attitudes, the Euro Step, and the game the way they play it now.”
When Wortman worked he was an authority figure on the court. He was not afraid of making a decision, and he wouldn’t have worried about replay getting it right.”
He was immensely aware, and proud of his father’s reputation as an official, and told me a story that happened in a game he worked between Louisville and North Carolina State.
“Louisville coach Denny Crum was all over his butt about a call under the rim,” said Wortman.
“You gotta’ get some freakin’ help with that Bob,” he screamed at Wortman.
Wortman walked over to him, looked up at the scoreboard, then back at Crum, and said, “Denny, it looks like you could use some help of your own.”
Dave Wortman was especially good with young officials, and to more than one shared that you cared foremost about the integrity of the game, and officiating.
“Keep those things in mind and the game will take care of itself,” he told me.
I will also remember Dave Wortman as a standup guy after the game, one of the few officials I knew that would actually discuss a call with the media, right or wrong.”
“You have to be responsible,” he liked to say. “Trust is invaluable, from your fellow officials, players, and the people who know the game best. After all, they saw it, too”.
Needless to say, it was never an issue with Dave Wortman.
“He was one of the best. People knew when he was in the gym,” said long-time Sidney official and assigner, Stan Evans.
And the less said, the better. Get the calls right, and the game has way of taking care of itself. That’s how Dave Wortman liked it.
After the game stop by for a winning ‘Big Buy’ at The Spot, in Sidney.